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Hell to the yes i dont care what others think if they are so narrow minded that they cant accept other hobbies the forget them. Its anime fans are out dealing drugs, stealing cars, dog fighting ect ect. Its different so some people tend to make fun of it. I get teased sometimes at work or by some of my non anime friends and i just ignore of them or give them a dose of their own medicine.

Yes, i will tell people I watch anime though I don't go out of my way to make known to people (I don't feel I need too, really) Much like any of my other hobbies or interest I'll talk about it when it comes up natural in conversation. The big tip off is almost always my art

In my area, watching anime doesn't seem to entail any negative stigma unlike most other places. But even if it did, I'd still admit that I watch anime. Of course, that's only when it comes to topic, but that goes with any of my other interests (Magic, Video Games, etc.) and not just limited to anime. No sense bringing it up when the other party would most likely not be interested in the subject at all.

I think that explains why I don't mind being open about my interest in anime. Singaporeans are quite familiar with the medium. Even though most people associate anime with children's cartoons, many of them are equally aware that some anime are targeted towards older audiences. I thank Studio Ghibli for this. Movies such as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away have definitely helped to broaden appeal of anime in Singapore.

But even without such influences, I get the feeling that anime is already an accepted part of Singapore's cultural landscape, thanks to the ubiquity of manga. Manga is very popular here, and I always notice a good number of Singaporeans browsing the manga sections of our local Kinokuniya. Thankfully, otaku culture isn't very pronounced, so there isn't much stigma against manga/anime in general (but you do get the common misunderstanding that "adult anime" = hentai).

That said, manga/anime is considered part of geek culture. But believe it or not, it's actually good to be a geek in Singapore, because geeks are usually assumed (rightly or wrongly) to be very smart, and this country loves clever people. Heck, we recently had a game show featuring "Singapore's Brainiest Kids". Can you imagine such a programme in the US or the UK? The children who appear on the show would become the butt of endless cruel jokes.

As for telling others about my interests, most people assume I'm a person with very "serious" hobbies (reading, current affairs, history, philosophy, etc), and it usually catches them off-guard when they find out that I'm an anime fan as well. Depending on how open-minded they are, they'd be curious to learn why I think some of the best creative talent in Japan work in animation today.

Of course, most of them would not have heard of the anime I enjoy, so I talk about popular shows such as Naruto and Bleach instead. When trying to hold a conversation, it's always important to talk about things that people are interested to hear. Talking about the "brainy" stuff I personally enjoy would only make me appear arrogant and conceited. That would not help to improve anime's image among non-fans. It certainly wouldn't attract more people to the medium.

That said, manga/anime is considered part of geek culture. But believe it or not, it's actually good to be a geek in Singapore, because geeks are usually assumed (rightly or wrongly) to be very smart, and this country loves clever people. Heck, we recently had a game show featuring "Singapore's Brainiest Kids". Can you imagine such a programme in the US or the UK? The children who appear on the show would become the butt of endless cruel jokes.

Eh, we have "Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader?", and I'm quite sure it's about a panel of teens and adults answering the same question a fifth grader answers, with people giving incorrect answers being eliminated, though I don't watch it because it seems childish.

And regarding anime, I think I've already pointed out that I read light novels at school on occasion.
My bookmark is also this:
So I don't really care about allegations that I'm a nerd (I've built a reputation over the years that point otherwise, so I generally don't get any negative remarks, though I do get a lot of chuckles.)
(It actually sparks a good deal of conversation among my friends and other classmates when I bring up some of my hobbies. It's quite entertaining, really.)

Yeah I always tell people I watch anime and I really don't mind if they get like weirded out feelings or look at me and calling me a nerd. Why should I be ashamed of what I enjoy. I bet they have weird fetishes too so I don't really cry because someone criticizes me. A lot of people seem to understand that I will enjoy games and anime mainly because I'm "Korean" and the whole fact about asians seeming to like those kinds of things -__-;;

I don't outright tell them. I might if they look like someone who likes anime though. I still remember the time I wore a Gao Gao Stegosaurus T-Shirt at school. Weird feeling.

WHERE CAN I GET ONE OF THESE!??!?!???!?!?!

Quote:

Originally Posted by rainnydaiis

Yeah I always tell people I watch anime and I really don't mind if they get like weirded out feelings or look at me and calling me a nerd. Why should I be ashamed of what I enjoy. I bet they have weird fetishes too so I don't really cry because someone criticizes me. A lot of people seem to understand that I will enjoy games and anime mainly because I'm "Korean" and the whole fact about asians seeming to like those kinds of things -__-;;

haha!
It's true, though. Whenever I bring up anime or my other nerdy hobbies, people usually just wave it off and say, "ahh qtip, you're so Asian..."
Oh stereotypes, they really help you when they need to.

I tell people straight up that I watch it - but I dont tell them just how much I do until I get to know them. I work in the video games industry ( The Dev side, not retail ) and everyone in this industry is well aware what anime is. The problem is that even though Game designers / programmers / testers / Artists and whatnot are all fairly easygoing "down to earth" people when compared to other industries, far too many hear the word "Otaku" and think the word "Weeaboo". It's assumed that if you watch it everyday you are a wapanese wannabe, so I wait till people know me well enough to know that I am not like that untill I let them in on that fact that I average 1~1.5 hours on weekdays and 2~3 on weekends.

only if they ask me, but i dun care if they dont like it, is their loss, i think almost nobody of my classmates watch anime, only 1 or 2 but not that much, they play more MMORPG and the others just blehh... they dont even know it
and if i take out a manga the girls say, whats that? and i say a manga, O.o is like a comic......... Ahh ohh and what its about, and i explain to them;
if its an elfen lied manga they say ohh so cute because of the covers but they never ask about it........ lol

Depending on the circumstances. Most people I know don't even know what anime is. But if somehow you find out someone you know is also an anime, then we can chat all about what is your favorite series, etc, :-P

well.. truth be told i do hide it for the most part.. mmm im not sure if ill be able to do so after i join college.. anyone been through a similiar situation?

I'd say college is a little more accepting... and if people aren't, say "forget you" and the campus will usually be populated enough that you won't have to see them again.

Disclaimer: Standard socialization mores apply.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wingzero_2000

Depending on the circumstances. Most people I know don't even know what anime is. But if somehow you find out someone you know is also an anime, then we can chat all about what is your favorite series, etc, :-P